Green With Envy
by LadyFrederic
Summary: At the cusp of her junior year, Buttercup seems to be around Butch more often, him even giving her a nickname. The girl is not fond of the sudden attention, but in just one short week, can her feelings be changed to be the same as those of the boy in question? T only because Butch uses more colorful language, but not even that much. Part Two of Three.
1. The First Day

A sudden beeping caused Buttercup to groan loudly and slam her palm down upon the green alarm clock that sat timidly on her bedside table. The girl glanced at the piercingly red numbers and sighed, rubbing her eyes and reluctantly getting out of bed. It was six forty-five, and the first day of her junior year. For Buttercup, the summer vacation had seemed incredibly short—and awfully lonely, she realized, tilting her head to one side as she decided on what she would wear. The Professor had went to three conventions out of town, Blossom spent the entire time at a summer school, and Bubbles began dating Boomer, barely two weeks after they had finished tenth grade. Buttercup slightly smiled as she thought how excited her sister had been when she came home from her date, giggling and beaming and literally bouncing off of the walls. The two began spending a lot more time together, and with everyone else out of the house, Buttercup really bonded with the television, watching all the shows she wouldn't dare watch in front of her family—shows about weddings and make-over's and other people's love lives. The girl would never admit it, but she was intrigued by watching love; she had never experienced love, not like Bubbles, or even Blossom, who had dated a boy back in freshman year. Buttercup was the tough, brutal one, not the one who found notes regularly in her locker, not the one who had boys lining outside her door, just to see if they could catch a glimpse of her. She sighed, realizing she'd have to break up with the television, and pulled out a pair of black jean Capri's, and a dark green T-shirt with the words, "Go Big or Go Home" printed on it in sharp black print. After completing the outfit with a pair of black sandals, she headed for the bathroom and got ready there.

As Buttercup walked down the stairs to the living room, completely ready for the horrible school day that was about to be upon her, she wasn't surprised to see the rest of her family already at the table, eating away at some pancakes. The green eyed girl took her usual place, and at once a plate of steaming cakes were set in front of her by her older sister, who smiled good-naturedly at her. "You ready for the first day?" Blossom asked both her sisters.

"Yeah! Boomer and I got lockers right next to each other, and he promised to walk me to my classes every day!" Bubbles was bursting with her usual chipper attitude, elevated by the fact that she got to spend this day as Boomer's girl. "I'm so excited! It's gonna be a great year!" She merrily dug into her flap-jacks and gave a thumbs-up to Blossom, who had, evidently, made the breakfast, letting her know she approved.

"What about you, Buttercup?" the Professor asked his second youngest.

"No. Getting up this morning was so hard…"

Blossom nodded in agreement. "I concur. I mean, I know I took classes this summer, but they were always in the afternoon—I haven't gotten up this early in a long time." The table went silent after Blossom's comment, everyone eating, particularly the Professor, who had to get to work, even though he wished to see his girls off on their first day. Once he finished, though, he unwillingly said good-bye and gave each of his daughters a kiss on the top of the head, wishing them good luck. The girls called parting wishes to him and finished their own breakfast. "Shall we go?" the red head asked halfheartedly, not wanting to go back to school and spend every day with those boys—_again_.

"Sure," Buttercup said, sharing the sentiment of her elder sister. She could handle Brick, was used to Boomer at this point—but she still couldn't wrap her head around the idea of being civil with Butch. The boy was pushy and self-centered, overconfident and egotistical, arrogant and just plain dumb. Every time she saw him, it took everything in her—and a serious warning from the principal—to keep her from lashing out at him and kicking him in his stupid, pompous face. The three took off, and Bubbles began babbling about Boomer again, how he had taken her to an extravagant restaurant on their two month anniversary, telling the story for the fourth time. "Look," Buttercup suddenly cut in, stopping her sister from continuing. "I know you're excited and all, but you've told us this. A lot. Can we talk about something else?" Buttercup tried to keep the steel from her voice, but Blossom noticed and gave her a glare. Buttercup shrugged and Blossom's shoulders dropped, agreeing with the green eyed girl.

"Alright!" Bubbles cheered, not missing a beat. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Hmm…" Buttercup began. Just then, the girls flew over a giant pit of construction workers and she glanced at Blossom, whose face went red. "How about we discuss Blossom and Brick's last fight?" she teased.

Blossom gave her a look and Bubbles just giggled, enjoying the playful tension between her older sisters. "Fine with me—and after that, can we talk about how you and Butch fought for eight hours straight back in July?"

"We didn't take out a _fifty-story office building_," Buttercup returned. Blossom just glared, a smile on her lips as she conceded defeat.

Silence filled the air, a comfortable silence, until Bubbles spoke up. "How did you and Butch start fighting?" Buttercup snapped her head to look at the blonde, wondering where such a question came from.

"He called you a, 'hot tamale covered in jalapeños' if I remember correctly," Blossom smirked. Buttercup rolled her eyes, noiselessly seething, recalling how immature and bigheaded the comment had sounded coming from out of his mouth. Bubbles giggled at her black haired sister's expense, and said girl just ignored the jab.

"Who won?" Bubbles asked, for she had been out with Boomer the evening of the fight, both sisters never giving her any information.

"We tied, as usual," Buttercup said bitterly. It was always like that between them; neither one of them was able to ever get the upper hand in a fight. That was part of what drove Buttercup to loathe him so. She could handle loosing, for it gives you places to improve. She could handle winning, for nothing was better than being on top. But they were so perfectly matched, so dead even in everything they did, that only on certain conditions, when one of them was feeling poorly, did a victor emerge—and even then, the winner did not consider themselves as such, for the opponent was not at their strongest. It wasn't like that for either of her sisters; Bubbles and Boomer didn't fight anymore, so that exempted them from judgment, and what determined the champion between Blossom and Brick was whoever had more passion or rage to fuel their vicious fighting at the time. With Butch and herself, they felt a similar zeal for the rush of battle, for the joy in beating someone else to a pulp that they never differed. She sighed, ignoring the conversation going on between her sisters, and the three of them descended to the school as one unit, landing on the front lawn. All three of their lockers were right next to each other, so they walked together, Blossom in the middle, Bubbles and Buttercup flanking her on either side as was comfortable, and they halted at their lockers, butterflies suddenly bursting in each girl's stomach.

"Hey, Bub!" they heard someone call. Bubbles immediately whipped around and beamed.

"Boomer!" she squealed, leaping into his open arms. They hugged tightly, the blonde planting a quick kiss on his cheek, which made his whole face turn crimson. "How've you been?"

"Good. You?"

"You guys saw each other yesterday. Why do you have to ask how she is?" Boomer turned and glared at his older brother. "I mean, seriously." Butch rolled his eyes and glanced, almost unnoticeably, at Buttercup, seeming to analyze every feature she possessed.

"You need something?" Buttercup growled, her glower low and fierce.

"Not yet," the boy replied, smirking. Buttercup merely scowled and turned back to her locker, hearing Butch and Brick walk away.

As soon as she was sure he was out of earshot, Buttercup looked toward the red head and rolled her eyes, sighing. "I know," Blossom replied. "You just have to be stronger than him. Don't let him bug you like that."

"But it's so hard when he's being so… So…" Buttercup's face was progressively getting redder with fury, her voice trembling. Blossom merely looked her in the eyes, trying to calm her down.

"He's not worth it. I kept my cool in front of Brick, didn't I?"

"Yeah—because he didn't jeer at you like that."

"That may be true," Blossom admitted. She retrieved her books from her locker and placed her hand on Buttercup's shoulder. "Just take it one moment at a time. He's not here now, right? So enjoy this time." Buttercup grudgingly nodded her head and said good-bye to Blossom, who was headed off to her first class, Physics. Bubbles was a bit busy chatting nonsensically to her boyfriend, so Buttercup wandered the halls, waiting for the bell to ring.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

The weeks leading up to the first day of school were horrible. I couldn't get Buttercup out of my head, ever since Brick made that comment to me, back in June. "Just enjoy the show," he had said. And once I had stared at Buttercup's fine figure for the remainder of the evening, I had thoroughly done so—and was craving for more. Every feature she possessed, every aspect of her personality was flawless, seamless. I was hooked, wanting nothing more than to call her mine. I confessed my obsession to my younger brother, but wouldn't dare tell Brick what I felt. I might be the strongest of the three of us—but Brick was the best fighter, being able to incorporate his brains into fights, whereas I just went all out, striking at whatever I could; and the fact that he fought with Blossom, an equally tactical fighter, only helped him get better. If he found out I had fallen for one of those girls, just like Boomer had, he would have my head.

When I told Boomer that I had feelings for the girl, he had smiled at me. "It's great, huh?" he asked. I looked away but nodded, not wanting to admit that I was enjoying the feeling of elation that came with caring for someone. I asked him what I could do to make her mine, to accomplish what he had accomplished; and his answer was so simple it nearly knocked me back in surprise. "I know it sounds cliché… but just be you. If this is really going to work out for you two, the best way to get her is to be you. Don't pretend, don't hold anything back. Just trust your instincts." I had never heard wiser words from the thick-headed boy, and followed his instructions to the letter. Whenever we encountered one another, I let my words come easily, not worried about saying the wrong thing. However, on the first day of school, when she continually rolled her eyes at me, accompanied by sighs of exasperation and distaste, I became discouraged. After school that day, I got Boomer away from Brick and asked him the question that had been plaguing my mind the entire day.

"Whenever I'm myself, she hates me! What should I do?" Boomer took a deep breath before addressing my problem. He was so level-headed, so cool and calm these days. It made me want to punch him in the face—he had gotten what he wanted without even trying, and now he was beginning to grow up, taking less and less of Brick's crap, while I suffered and got double doses.

"Keep being you. It'll just take time, Butch. You have to be patient. Do you know how long I had liked Bubbles? Like, for three years. I think you can wait more than three months." I groaned, realizing he was right and went off to my room to seethe.

Why didn't she like me? What was I doing that made her so mad? How could I change so she'd like me? Wait, wait, wait, Boomer told me to be myself, and he had actually _gotten_ the girl… I supposed I would listen. I tossed and turned in my bed, angry with her, angry with myself, angry at Boomer for being so damn happy. Eventually, though, I slipped into a fitful sleep, dreaming briefly of short, black hair and long, pale legs before falling asleep.

**Author's Note: Not sure how long this one is gonna be… What do you think? They're not too OOC, right? :I I like these two… They're so ANGRY ALL THE TIME. XD It's fun to write… ^.^**

**Please review! Thanks for reading!**

**Cordially,**

**LadyFrederic**


	2. Progress and a Setback

Buttercup awoke on the second day of school feeling much lighter and happier. For some reason, a sensation of joy and euphoria filled her, and she got ready, donning black gym shorts, a tight green tank top, and a white jacket. She combed through her ebony locks and ate her breakfast cheerfully, earning many worried looks from the rest of her family. "What?" she asked, her usual grumpiness returning. "Can I be happy?" Bubbles chuckled and the others smiled.

"Sure," the Professor said. "We're just not used to you being _that_ happy."

"Yeah," Blossom added. "It usually means you're plotting something." Buttercup looked up to the ceiling and sighed.

"So how are your classes?" the Professor asked, dispelling the tension.

"Oh, they're fantastic!" Bubbles began. "Boomer's in three of my classes, and we sit really close to each other! And one of the classes is History, and we do a bunch of partner work. The other ones are Pre-Calculus and English Composition. It's so great!" The Professor smiled at his youngest, so glad she was having a good time.

"What about you, Buttercup?" The green eyed girl heaved a huge sigh.

"They're alright, I guess. I don't have any classes with Butch, thank goodness. But I see him in the halls all the time. It's actually kinda creepy. I feel like every time I go around a corner he's right there." She shivered. "It's weird. But other than that, it's fine. Nothing really to report, yet."

The Professor nodded, relieved everything was going well so far. "Blossom?"

The red head immediately launched into an extensive rant about how Brick was in her first period class. "A _great_ way to start the day, right?" she screeched sarcastically. "I mean, he sits _right behind_ me, and I can swear he just _stares_ at me like a _weirdo_. And yesterday, after class, he called out to me and said, 'Glad I'm in your class, babe?' _Honestly_, that boy doesn't have a decent bone in his _body_. It was all I had not to freeze him right there, in the middle of his stupid _strut_ around the school." Blossom's tirade took quite a bit of time, and the Professor suddenly rushed out, apologizing and saying he would talk to the girl after he came home from work.

The girls then left for school, Buttercup in an indifferent sort of mood. When they got to their hallway, however, she was overtaken by annoyance; leaning against the lockers, very near her own, was Butch, hands stuffed in the pockets of his baggy jeans, a tight green tank top hugging his chest. He seemed to be looking for someone, and once his eyes landed on Buttercup, his whole face lit up. She rolled her eyes, for what felt like the millionth time that week, and tried her best to ignore him, making the best of the situation by noting he hadn't spoken to her—and then that silver lining quickly disappeared. "Hey, Bup," he said flirtatiously. Buttercup felt a little heat rise in her cheeks, and, telling herself it was from anger, she turned to face him.

"Why are you calling me that?"

"Calling you what?"

"Bup. Why are you calling me that? No one calls me that." There was ice in her tone and her eyes had gone dark, a murderous look in them.

He shrugged, his hands still in his pockets. "'Cause I can. I saw you wearing a jersey one time with that on the back and thought it was nice."

Buttercup's rage instantly dissolved, replaced by utter confusion. "You… thought it was _nice_? What does _that_ mean?"

A little pink was creeping slowly into Butch's cheeks. "Um… I liked it…? I think it suits you." He was awkwardly shifting his weight from foot to foot, trying to not look at the girl. Still baffled, Buttercup opened her mouth to ask him, once again, what he meant, but the bell rang, and the boy let out a sigh of relief, immediately speed walking away from the girl who had her mouth slightly agape, his last comment still fresh in her mind.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

The second day went much better than the first. I felt like I had made ground, like she didn't hate me nearly as much as before. I hoped she didn't mind that I called her Bup—for I was being totally honest when I said I thought it suited her. Buttercup was too long, too serious; Bup was much better. I spent the whole day of school thinking about our brief encounter, replaying the moment when I saw her cheeks darkened, ever so slightly when I mentioned that I liked the nickname. I didn't think she meant for the blush to occur, and that was what made it all the more satisfying; it was her subconscious that had feelings for me… or so I thought. After school that day, I waited by her locker, standing there with Boomer who wanted to talk to Bubbles. The three girls all rounded the corner together, and I found myself wondering where Brick was. That thought was pushed away, though, when I saw how Buttercup was looking at me. Her usually bright green eyes were narrowed in my direction, her black eye-liner and mascara adding to the overall fury within the glower. She was looking straight into my eyes, trapping me in her death glare, and with my peripherals I could see she was crushing a water bottle in her right hand, her left hand gripping the strap of her backpack so tightly her knuckles were turning white. Both her sisters were slowly but surely backing away, and I was stuck gazing into those hatred-filled eyes, wondering what I had done.

"Hey," I managed to say as she turned her body towards her locker, her face still glaring viciously at me. "Care to tell me how I managed to piss you off so much?" Buttercup got her locker open, put her things away, and slammed it, facing me once again.

"Sure." The single word was laced with so much abhorrence I physically drew back. "You think it's funny to come up with nicknames for people? And then suddenly the whole school thinks were a couple? Not on my watch." She was totally in my face, using her powers to float slightly above me. Our noses were practically touching and her face was red—from anger or embarrassment, I couldn't tell. But then, what she stated hit me. People thought we were together? I hadn't told anyone, hadn't said anything. Why would they think we were a couple?

"What are you talking about? I haven't heard anything about us being a couple." I tried to keep my tone even, but the steel was evident.

"_You don't know_?!" she shrieked, causing many heads to turn our way.

"Buttercup, calm down," Blossom said, placing a hand on her sister's shoulder. "He's not worth it."

"Like hell he is!" she screeched again. I smiled when her language suffered, but that seemed to be the wrong move, for she instantly launched herself at me, flying us through the hallway and smashing me against the lockers.

"Butch, get outside!" Boomer yelled at me, and I did as he said, flying through the ceiling and outside, shooting off like a bullet towards an empty field.

Buttercup was hot on my trail, and I turned quickly to face her, bracing myself for impact. I was glad I had done so, for the girl once more smashed into me, flying straight down to the ground and pushing me there, head first. I found the strength, though, and began pushing up, slowing us down. I was trying desperately to keep my cool, but control was quickly slipping away, and I knew this would turn into an all out brawl if I didn't find a way to stop the furious girl. "Buttercup, stop!" I shouted, grabbing her arms and looking into her eyes. She froze for a split second, tears budding at the corners of her eyes.

However, the ceasefire did not last long. "Get off of me!" she yelled, bringing her legs up and kicking me in the chest, sending me reeling backwards. "I can't believe you'd go around telling people we're _dating _or something, when there's obviously nothing going on! You're such a good for nothing bas—"

"Hey!" I yelled, stopping her. "I didn't tell anyone _anything_! Why won't you believe me?"

She let out a half-crazed laugh, along with a scoff. "Why would I believe you about _anything ever_? You're a _criminal_. A _psycho_. If I did believe you, _I _would be the one with a mental issue!"

"Too late," I muttered under my breath, suddenly very curious as to why I liked this girl. Thankfully she didn't hear my comment, but she threw herself at me nonetheless, connecting her fist to my stomach. I growled and kicked at her, landing the swing solidly to her side. She grunted and momentarily grabbed her side; but in an instant, she was back, kicking, punching, and shooting at me with the boiling heat coming from her eyes. As for me, all reason was gone, taken over by the desire to hurt this girl, hurt her badly. However, every time a prime opportunity presented itself—one where I could have done unimaginable damage to her—my heart screeched out in protest, always stopping me mid-swing. I became more and more annoyed with myself, and eventually let out a groan of defeat and flew away, fast enough that there was no way she could catch me.

I landed outside our little home and stormed inside, my clothes torn, my whole body bruised, battered, and bloody. I glared at my two brothers sitting there, and I stopped in my tracks when I saw the look on Brick's face. "What are you smiling about?" I growled, angry at myself for basically ruining any progress I had made with Buttercup. He merely tilted his head to one side and chuckled lightly.

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough. If you simply use that non-existent brain you've got up there." I glared at Brick, mad at him for holding something over me, mad at him for being so damn smart, mad at myself for not knowing what the hell he was talking about. After about ten seconds of angrily glowering at my older brother he sighed. "Give up? Fine. Buttercup's right. Someone has been spreading rumors about you two... But, like you said, it wasn't you... Oh, who could it be?" He placed a single finger on his chin and looked toward the ceiling. "Who could it be...?" He looked over at me and smiled triumphantly. In that moment I knew what he meant—he had been the one who told people Buttercup and I were together.

"_YOU_!" I yelled at my brother, jabbing an accusing finger in his general direction. "_You _did it! You ruined my chance with her!" My hand immediately shot up to my mouth. I couldn't believe I had just said that. Brick didn't know, he _couldn't_ know. He was going to kill me, slowly torture me until I had no life left. I nervously met his eyes, trying to be brave. Brick merely clapped slowly once, twice.

"He finally catches on, folks! Maybe there's hope for him yet!" He stood up, unhurriedly and deliberately. "Yes, I ruined your 'chance' with her... If you want to call it that." My elder brother began pacing back and forth, never breaking eye contact. "I had to get you to _stop _this. Stop this _idiocy_. Bubbles got to Boomer, Butch. We _lost _him to her—and I can't lose you, too. I had to _stop _what you were doing. She was _getting _to you, getting you to _change_, to become one of _them_. I _can't _let that happen, Butch. I _won't _let that happen. You know the rule: 'Look, but don't touch'. You're getting too close to the fire; and trust me, you _will _get burned. You need to _stop _this madness, Butch. Before you _lose _yourself to her..." His eyes had turned from angry and disgusted to sad and hopeful. However, I didn't forget the fact that I loved this girl, even if she was just pretending to get me to be good, and I wouldn't let my damn older brother get in my way.

"And what if I _want _to lose myself?" I whispered. At once, Brick's eyes narrowed and he walked towards me, grabbing my shirt and pulling my face up to meet his own.

"Then you better be prepared to pay for it, every day of your life." He loosened his grip on my shirt and turned. I let out a silent sigh of relief, glad he hadn't hurt me—but it was premature. Brick suddenly faced me and pulled back his fist, punching me in the head and sending me crashing to the ground, everything going black.

**Author's Note: Brick's a jerk, huh? XD What do you think about this one? There are two chapters left, but they're both pretty short. Thanks for reviewing and reading!**

**Cordially,**

**LadyFrederic**


	3. A Revelation

Buttercup was breathing hard and fast, not sure why Butch had suddenly bolted away like he did. Her anger disappeared with her opponent, though, and the green eyed girl flew back to her home, replaying the events of the day in her mind as she did so...

Her first few classes had been the usual, nothing to report, nothing out of the ordinary. However, when Buttercup got to her fifth period class, she entered the room to find a mob of her closest girl friends whispering quickly and excitedly. "Who died?" she said sarcastically, causing all of the girls to whip their heads around suddenly and look at her. "What?" she asked, for they were all staring at her with anxious eyes, as if wondering who should ask her the question first. Finally, one of the girls spoke up.

"When were you going to tell us that you got a boyfriend?" Buttercup just stared at Mackenzie, the girl in question, and snorted.

"What are you talking about? Who in the world would be my boyfriend?"

"Well, I heard from Kennedy, who heard from Jenna, who heard from Nancy, who heard from Marcy, who heard from Tina, who heard from Victor, who heard from Peter, who heard from Brick, who was told by Butch that you two are dating. You and Butch—and that he's even got a pet name for you!" All the girls at the table giggled, happy for their friend. Buttercup had often mentioned that she wished she could have a guy like that, someone to talk to and be her friend. Little did they know, though, that the girl was instantly irate. After dispelling the rumor and causing all her friends to get wide-eyed and nervous with her yelling, Buttercup faced the rest of the day with a grim outlook and had to continue, with every class she went to, shutting up all the people who thought she had finally found a boy toy in Butch. Then, after explaining what had happened to her sister's, she stormed off to her locker by Blossom's side. When she saw Butch standing there, looking so goofy and hopeful, her insides nearly exploded with how much hate she had for him. It snowballed from there, and as Buttercup went inside her home, she briefly wondered what had possessed Butch to start such a preposterous rumor. Didn't he know she would _kill _him because of it? And why had he kept claiming he hadn't done anything? She knew he was guilty. There was no point in denying what he had done. Buttercup passed by the kitchen, but was stopped when she got to the living room by the Professor and her sisters.

"Buttercup, are you alright?" the Professor asked, eyes full of worry. Her clothes were torn in many places and she was sure she was bruised up pretty badly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little peeved." Blossom stood up then, from her place on the couch and walked towards her younger sister.

"Just so you know, Buttercup..." she began, "Butch didn't start the rumor. Boomer told Bubbles that Brick made the whole thing up." Buttercup's jaw dropped.

"_What_? Why the hell would he do that? Oh, sorry, Professor!" she amended when she saw the look the Professor gave her when she cursed.

"Boomer's not sure," Bubbles spoke up, "but he thinks it's 'cause Brick's trying to make sure Butch doesn't... fall for you." An awkward silence filled the room. Buttercup's mind stopped, her breath caught in her throat. Butch... falling for her? It seemed crazy. But at the same time, the girl couldn't keep the euphoric feeling away at the thought of the boy loving her.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

I slowly opened my eyes, barely a creak, and saw Boomer standing over me, a look of deep worry etched in his face. "Butch…?" I read off his lips, my hearing still a bit fuzzy. "Butch?" he asked again, and this time I heard him clearly.

"Yeah?" I mumbled, trying to ignore the pounding in my head.

"Are you… alright?" he asked nervously, gently placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah," I replied, brushing his hand off and gripping my head when I tried to sit up. Hissing through my teeth, I lied back down.

"It's four o'clock in the morning… You've been out this whole time and Brick's gone. I don't know where he went, but he said he'd be back around seven." My brother paused, allowing me to digest this information. "What… what are you gonna do when he comes back?" There was fear in his voice—honest, blatant, paralyzing fear. He knew what Brick could have done to me, if he had wanted to, knew that I might have never woken up. Our brother was that dangerous. So, for him to ask this question, I knew he was thinking of the rage Brick would have when I faced him again.

"I… don't know. I guess I'll just have to do what you did—convince him that she's not manipulating me, find a way to persuade him to allow me to love her. I don't know what else to do." Boomer nodded and looked away. "Hey, Boomer." He turned to look at me, concern still deep in his cobalt eyes. "Don't worry. I can deal with that knuckle-head. Besides… if you and I have both fallen in love with those girls, one can only guess when he'll get it, too." The corners of Boomer's mouth rose slightly at that sentiment, for we both knew it would be true. But neither of us knew exactly how true it was at that moment…

**Author's Note: D: Sorry it's so short! Either chapter three or four had to be really short, so I chose this one.**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

**Cordially,**

**LadyFrederic**


	4. A Confession

I flew away from those idiots, those _fools_, swiftly and surely, off to my favorite spot in all of Townsville. I landed without a sound on the branch of the tree and sat down, causing the leaves to slightly shudder. I tucked my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them after flipping my hat around and pulling it down over my eyes. I needed time to sit here, time to think about my stupid brothers. They were being imbeciles, getting sucked into those Powerpuff's lulling stupor. I knew Boomer would fall, knew he would be the first to give in to the girls' wishes; he was weak, a cry-baby, the _sensitive_ one. But nothing could have prepared me for Butch's betrayal. He was always tough, self-sufficient; a little crazy and hair-brained, maybe, but he was a soldier, never being insubordinate, following my instructions to the letter. He was forcing me to face life without him, without my best warrior, best bet at sure victory. If Butch went soft, our whole reputation was tarnished, our image flawed. We would be ruined. I glared at nothing in particular, trying to find a way to break my younger brother out of the trance he was in. But I knew it was futile.

It was all because of those stupid girls; and, by extension, that stupid Professor. I stopped, though, at that thought—if not for that man, I wouldn't be here. I grumbled, knowing I should be, if anything, _grateful_ to that man, and that made me sick. How could the same person who created happy little _goodie-goodies_ produce the world's greatest villain—who made us? It was definitely a screwed up circle.

However, I digress. It was still those girls' fault. Bubbles, who was so chipper and happy, practically forced my youngest and most naïve brother to be attracted to her; he was weak and a sissy, needing anything to cling to. Buttercup, who was so tough and burly, was a perfect match for my younger brother in every way; he was strong and sturdy, needing someone to equal him in strengths and weaknesses. And then there was Blossom. That girl had serious issues. She was incredibly intelligent, virtually flawless, and yet she had the gall to act so harried and stressed out while she was getting ready to sleep. I scowled as I sat in the tree, the tree that was directly outside her window, and watched her scurry around her room, putting things down and then picking them back up and placing them somewhere else. I always hated watching her do this, wonder around her room anxiously; I preferred it when she just leisurely got in bed and I could watch her peacefully sleep, her figure half-hidden by the deep red canopy that hung over her bed. I knew it was kind of creepy, but I found it was the best way for me to think, the most relaxing place I knew of. Whenever I was tense or nervous, my brain filled with concerns and baseless worries, I would come to this tree and watch her for hours on end. Occasionally, when I thought she was deep enough in her sleep, I would even open the window and go inside, sit on her floor, and watch her from a much closer distance. Even though a part of me knew it was a sign of weakness, the other part was so certain nothing would come of these actions that I continued to partake in the ritual.

I continued to sit there, on the branch, thinking about my stupid brothers and watching Blossom until the sun began to rise—and I knew it must be close to seven. So, reluctantly, I bade my tree limb goodbye and flew off, knowing I would never return or risk falling for that _thing_, back to my home and my idiotic brothers.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

The week progressed, and Wednesday and Thursday passed with no unexpected events. Buttercup did note, however, that whenever she saw Butch in the halls—which was often—she didn't ignore him or glare as she usually did. Instead, she found herself smiling good-naturedly in his direction, occasionally even going as far as to wave. Whenever this happened, the girl would shake her head vigorously and rebuke herself for associating with that devilish boy. She couldn't understand why she was acting like such a pansy, simply forgiving him for all the trouble he had caused; even though it actually wasn't his fault for people thinking they were dating.

When the girl's alarm went off on Friday, she could feel something different about the day—something she liked. There was a feeling of change in the air, excitement in the breeze. Buttercup felt energized, ready to handle whatever the day threw at her. She flew to school with her sisters, chatting a little with the other girls, but was silent for the most part. The girl was just enjoying the day, enjoying the feeling of utter peace and perfection; however, there was a little flaw in this picture, a fly in the ointment. For some reason, she didn't feel _complete_. She felt like someone had taken her arm off or something, felt like she was without an essential part of her being. The girl simply shrugged as the bell rang, though, forgetting all about it and heading for her first class of the day. All of her classes seemed to zoom by, and before she knew it, the final bell rang, and the first week of school was over for Buttercup. She let out a massive sigh of relief and headed for her locker, smiling widely as she walked through the halls.

As Buttercup approached her locker, she saw Butch standing there uncomfortably, nervously. Her brow furrowed a bit, but her mood stayed at a high level, not dipping at all. "Hey, Butch," she greeted, surprising herself. "What's up?" The girl began placing her books in her locker and when she was finished with the exchange, she closed the door and turned to look at Butch.

"Oh, nothing much. How was the first week of school?"

"Alright. It's school, right?" Both teens awkwardly chuckled, not meeting each other's eyes. Buttercup turned to look at Butch again, and found he was staring at her intently, taking deep breaths. "Butch? Are you alright?" He was kind of freaking her out, and Buttercup took a half step back.

"Never been better," he replied, and surged forward, capturing her lips in his own.

Shock. That was the dominant feeling Buttercup had. Not rage, embarrassment, or anger. Just simple shock. Her eyes were bulging, her arms dropping her books to the linoleum and clattering, her heart pumping loudly in her ears, her breath not coming. Butch's own eyes were closed peacefully, his hand gradually reaching up to caress her jaw line. After what seemed like five days, but was more like five seconds, Butch pulled away and looked Buttercup in the eyes, trying to gauge her reaction. The girl, though, just stood there, eyes large, mouth slightly agape, her hand slowly touching her lips, feeling how they were still warm from his embrace. "Ah… ah…" Buttercup said, trying to find something, _anything_, to say to the boy who just _kissed_ her, basically telling her he _loved_ her. "Um…" The girl was trying to decide if she liked that, if she enjoyed Butch's kiss. And, because she wasn't positive, she requested something of him. "Could you… run that by me again?" Butch smiled and eagerly obliged, reaching one hand behind her back, the other on her neck, pulling the girl to his enthusiastic lips. Buttercup's eyes were still wide, but eventually she decided she _did_ like this. It made her heart pump frantically, made her breath come short, gave her goose bumps. Her eyes finally fluttered closed and she reached for Butch's hair, just holding him close to her. Her tongue asked for entry, and he again gave in to her appeal, parting his teeth and allowing her to dominant the battle their tongues were ensued in. Both of his hands dropped to the small of her back, and he pulled her closer still, liking how nicely their bodies molded together. After a while, though, the two needed air, and they pulled apart. They were then quiet for a time, Buttercup hugging his body tightly, never wanting to let go. But, eventually, a question formed in her mind, and she had to know the answer.

"What about Brick?"

Butch chuckled lightly. "It's funny. When he found out I loved you, he punched me and knocked me out. Then, on Wednesday, he said I could ask you out if I beat him in a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. I won." The boy smiled and Buttercup rolled her eyes. "Aren't you glad, Bup?" Buttercup glared at him and poked his chest.

"Don't ever call me that, 'kay? …Just not around other people."

"But when we're alone…?" he trailed off.

"When we're alone, you can call me whatever you like."

"Great." He grinned greedily and pulled her in for another kiss. However, there was a sudden gasp, and the two broke apart. Blossom was standing there, at the end of the hallway.

"Buttercup? What are you doing?" she asked.

"Butch and I are going out now." Blossom smiled and shook her head.

"I swear… Am I next?" She asked the question with heavy sarcasm, but Buttercup knew the fear of falling for Brick was real.

"Yep. Mark my words, sis—before this time next year, you and Brick will begin dating!"

"Sure we will," Blossom said, turning around and waving her hand.

"When you two fall for each other I get to say, 'I told you so'!" Buttercup yelled after the red head. Once the older girl had turned down the hall, Buttercup grabbed Butch's hand and headed for the drama teacher's room.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"You'll see," she replied, the plan already forming in her mind. "We're going to make _sure_ those two are together. Just you wait…"

**Author's Note: And that's the end! I have one more, obviously, for Blossom and Brick. Watch out for it: "A Fiery Red"!**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing! Hope you enjoyed!**

**Cordially,**

**LadyFrederic **


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